She rushed to him exclaiming, “Look at my baby! Just look, Miss Gussie!” She caught him just as he fell.
At the sound of his sister’s voice, Nicki turned his head of dark auburn curls toward her, squealing and flinging his arms aimlessly.
“He’ll be standing alone anytime now, won’t he, Miss Gussie?” she asked hopefully, as Nicki flung his arms and babbled, his pale green eyes lighting up with excitement, as they always did when Vicki was near.
“He just might at that,” Miss Gussie agreed happily, as she gathered his soiled clothing. “And while you dress him, I’ll get your breakfast. I’ve laid out his white sun suit on the chair there. He likes the yellow duck on that one.”
“Thank you, Miss Gussie,” Vicki said as she hugged her brother to her. “And good morning, my precious,” she said to him. “Hummm, you smell so good and fresh, I think I’ll just eat you up.” She nuzzled his neck just below his ear as he giggled, waved his arms and babbled in his own unintelligible language. “Did Miss Gussie give my baby a good bath?” She asked as she ruffled his curls, then laid him down on the towel again. “We’re going to get all powered up real good today,” she said as she sprinkled him under his arms with the can of talcum powder. “We don’t want that mean old heat rash again. Got to keep my baby cool,” she added as she dusted him all over, and Nicki babbled contentedly.
Vicki noted that Miss Gussie had also lowered the shades in that room against the early morning sun, and she wondered if she had also lowered them in father’s room which was on the other side of the connecting bath. And she wondered if father had already left for the day – gone in his search to find help for Nicki – to find someone somewhere who could make their Nicki a normal person.
“Now, my precious, you smell even better,” she said to Nicki as she placed him on her lap to dress him. “My, but you’re getting awfully big and heavy,” she said, struggling to get him into the sun suit. “If you get much bigger, I won’t be able to pick you up.” She buttoned the straps in place and stood him up, holding him under his arms. “Now don’t you look pretty? I want you to be a good boy for Miss Gussie today while I’m at school.
“Remember school? I told you about it. It’s a place where I go to learn all kinds of things, and I get to be with other boys and girls in the fifth grade. We have lots of fun.” Yes, she did enjoy school. It was the only time she got to be with children her own age. If it just didn’t mean being away from Nicki for such a long time each day. “But I’ll be home just as soon as I can, and Miss Gussie will take good care of you while I’m gone.”
“I sure will,” said the tall, portly, blond haired woman coming through the door. “Now, you let me have this young man, so I can feed him his breakfast, and you can eat yours. Your father said to tell you he was sorry to miss breakfast with you, but he had an early appointment in Nashville.” She took Nicki from his sister and headed for the kitchen.
“Your Aunt Willy called. She’ll be here very soon now.”
Miss Gussie didn’t see the grim look that came over Vicki with that announcement. Vicki hurried to the table. She wanted to be gone by the time Aunt Willy came. She wished that Aunt Willy would just stay at Stonegate where she belonged. They didn’t need her. Miss Gussie took good care of them. Of course, Miss Gussie belonged to Aunt Willy. She had been the housekeeper at Stonegate before Aunt Willy brought her to care for them after her mother died when Nicki was born. And she and Nicki had come to love Miss Gussie so much. She didn’t want her to ever leave them. She supposed that she had to put up with Aunt Willy so that they could have Miss Gussie.
She smiled at Nicki. He was happily eating the oatmeal that Miss Gussie was spooning into his mouth. He was such a good baby, except when Aunt Willy was around – especially when they were left in her care for Miss Gussie to go shopping. Even when he didn’t see her leave, Nicki seemed to know when Miss Gussie was not in the house. He would become fussy – whining and crying, and she wondered why? Surely, he wasn’t afraid of Aunt Willy as she was. She couldn’t shut him up in closets, or give him those stern, warning looks that said remember – to keep in mind the threat she held over her. She couldn’t send him away to a boarding school.
Sometimes, it was so hard not to tell father about her mother begging Aunt Willy to help her have her baby, to not let her die. And it was hard not to hate Aunt Willy, but mother had taught her that it was wrong to hate anyone. And she always wanted to do as her mother would want her to. She needed her mother. She wanted her so badly.
Addie tossed and turned in her strange state of sleep. She wanted to call out to her mother. She struggled to wake up, but her mind and her body refused to cooperate. She seemed to have no control over either. It was frightening! She needed to call to Della for help! Then she lapsed into that state of oblivion again.
Vicki was glad to hear Miss Mallory, her teacher, finally saying, “You may put away your books now and straighten your desks.” It had been a good day, she thought, except for the heat. But now, she was anxious to get home to Nicki.
Nicki! Vicki’s head jerked up from placing her books in her desk. Suddenly, she was filled with a feeling of fear and anxiety. Nicki! Nicki needed her! She didn’t understand it, but she was sure of it. She had to get home to him at once! Yes! He was in desperate need of her!
“Miss Mallory! Miss Mallory, please!” She called to her teacher whose back was to the class as she erased the blackboard.
“What is it, Vicki?” the teacher asked without turning around.
“I must go! I must go now!” Vicki exclaimed as she left her seat and hurried toward the door.
“Victoria Dane! Get back to your seat! Victoria!” Miss Mallory was calling as Vicki ran out the door.
“Nicki! Nicki! I’m coming!” she muttered, as she ran toward home. What could be wrong, she wondered, as she thought of the three blocks she had to run. Why did he need her so? Why did she always know when he needed her? Even in her sleep, she was aware of his needs – a blanket when he was chilled, a clean diaper, a drink of water. She always knew, but now, she didn’t know his need, she just knew he needed her. But this was different, she felt - different from any need he had ever had of her before. And she ran faster and faster.
In her sleep, Addie moaned and turned her head from side to side, her breathing coming in pants – like she had been running hard. What was wrong? Oh, why couldn’t she wake up? How much longer was this strange state of sleep going to last? Surely, she would wake up soon.
Just a little farther, Vicki thought as she turned the corner onto South Street. Her chest hurt, and it was getting hard to breathe, but she had to keep going. Nicki needed her! He was in danger of some kind! She knew it. Now, she could see the house. Finally. Nicki! I’m coming! She silently cried.
Her eyes glued to the house just ahead of her. A movement distracted her gaze. Her attention was drawn to the top of the house, to the widow’s walk, that funny little white fence on the top of the house where she was not allowed to go. A flash of yellow disappeared from above the fenced in area, then she heard him scream before she saw the white of his sun suit between the fence railings of the widow’s walk. His screaming was like the time she had accidentally stuck him with the safety pin as she changed his diaper. Only this was worse. He was in horrible pain.
Momentarily, Vicki’s footsteps faltered. She stared unbelieving of what she saw. Then she screamed, “Nicki! No! Nicki! No!” he was moving as if to pull up to the fence railing. Then something seemed to warn her not to call to him, but to run! Run to him as fast as her legs would carry her.
She ran into the yard and around to the back door which faced the enclosed stairway to the second floor where Miss Gussie had her bedroom and bath. Her eyes caught another flash of yellow hurriedly disappearing through the living room doorway at the end of the hall. She didn’t pause, but ran across a pallet on the floor in front of the kitchen door and up the stairs as fast as she could. Finally she reached the second floor. Now to get up the stairw
ay between the two unfinished bedrooms, that led to the roof.
The sun shone through the roof’s opening to the widow’s walk. She hurriedly climbed toward it calling, “Nicki! Nicki! Sister is here! I’ll get you down!” She called as her head came through the opening, and she could see him.
His hands were clasped around the slender railings of the short fence, as he screamed in pain and struggled to pull himself up from the hot, abrasive shingles of the roof. Placing her hand on the roof for support as she reached for him, she automatically drew it back in pain. The roof was blazing hot. No wonder Nicki was screaming so. His tender flesh must be on fire. Quickly, she put her hand back down, straining to reach as far as she could to get a hold on his sun suit.
She held tight to the handful of cloth as she talked soothingly to him and inched her way forward onto the burning, hot roof on her knees. Ignoring the pain to herself, she pleaded, “Nicki! Baby, turn loose! Turn your hands loose!” she begged, wondering how she was going to get him short of pulling him across the three feet or so of the hot, scratchy roof. She couldn’t do that to him. That meant she had to stand up over him and pick him up. He still held onto the railing with both hands and wouldn’t let go as he screamed and cried in pain.
Slowly, cautiously, Vicki got to her feet, while still keeping a tight grip on Nicki’s sun suit with one hand. She didn’t dare look anywhere except at Nicki. Finally, she had a hold on him with both hands. “Turn loose, Nicki! Turn loose!, Baby!” she pleaded of the screaming child as he continued to struggle to pull himself up. With a firm hold on him, she pulled him upwards, but the railing came loose, and Nicki fell backwards out of Vicki’s hold on him, and she went forward screaming, “Nicki!” As she fell.
Addie rallied in her semi-conscious state enough to know that she seemed to have been screaming in her sleep. Why? What had happened? It wasn’t a dream! Something bad had happened! Oh, why couldn’t she come fully awake? Her body seemed to weigh a ton. She couldn’t move so much as her hands. The distant wail of a siren reached through the fog of her mind adding a strange feeling of fear and anxiety. Then she was off in that senseless void again.
The loud wail of an ambulance, as it pulled up to the emergency entrance of the clinic, where Vicki lay unconscious, seemed to bring her around. Her eyes opened. Men and women in white hovered about her in a flurry of activity. A man’s voice said, “You’d better get her father.”
The white figures were replaced by just her father when she opened her eyes again. He was holding her hands to his lips as his tears rolled onto her fingers.
“Nicki?” she murmured.
“He’s safe, my little one. Your Nicki is safe.” he answered just above a whisper as he kissed her cheek just below the bandage on her head.
“Aunt Willy ... put Nicki on the roof,” she said in a voice so low her father had to lean close to her lips to hear her. “She let mother die. Mother begged her for help. I couldn’t tell you. She would send me away ...”
“Oh, Vicki, Vicki, my precious little girl,” he cried.
“Mother!” Vicki said weakly. Then she looked past her father. “Oh, no, Mother, I can’t! I promised!”
“Vicki,” her father said. “What is it?”
“Mother. She wants me to go with her. I can’t. Not without Nicki. I can’t leave Nicki. I promised never to leave him ... never.” Her eyes had all but closed again, and her breathing was very shallow.
“Sleep, my precious little one,” her father said. “You’ll be with your Nicki again ... one day ... when the time is right. I promise you.”
Vicki smiled faintly. Father always kept his promises, and her eyes closed again, for the last time.
Chapter Nineteen
The clock radio awoke Ben. He fumbled around to turn it down, then turned over just as he heard the sound of vomiting coming from the bathroom. Immediately, he was out of the bed. He found Della hung over the commode holding onto the vanity with one hand and the commode tank with the other as she retched one time after another.
“Della, honey! What’s wrong?” he asked as he reached for a wash cloth to wet in cold water.
She flushed the commode, then sank to a sitting position on the side of the bathtub and grabbed hold of his leg, resting her face against his thigh, as she panted for breath.
He wiped her face with the cold, wet cloth. “Is it something you ate? Do you have a virus?”
“No. No, she answered weakly. “Wait!” She leaned over and heaved several more times, as Ben stood helplessly by, waiting. He wiped her face again when she appeared to have finished.
After flushing the commode again, Della rinsed her mouth with water then mouth wash. Then she turned to Ben with a big smile.
Ben looked at his wife for a puzzled moment, then a look of shock came over him. “Della!” he exclaimed. “Are you telling me that you’re pregnant?”
She nodded and fell into his arms.
“You’re pregnant! You’re really pregnant?” he asked as he held her back to look at her. She nodded her head again, her violet blue eyes glistening as they filled with tears of happiness. “I don’t believe it! You’re really pregnant!” Ben almost shouted, as he hugged her to him so tightly she squealed.
“Yes. Yes. Yes.” she answered, and he kissed her.
Ben let out a, “Yippee!” that should have awakened the dead.
“Ouch!” Della complained of Ben’s too tight embrace.
“Oops, sorry,” he said, releasing his hold.
“I don’t want to start off with a broken rib.”
“I love you so much,” he declared as he kissed her mouth, her face, her neck, her eyes. “What’ll we have? A boy?”
“What ever the Lord deems to give us, but I do hope it’s a boy.”
“Honey, you’ve made me the happiest man in the whole world, and I don’t deserve it. Have you told Addie?” he asked, as he practically carried her back to the bedroom.
“Of course not, but if you awaken her, she’ll want to know what all the commotion is about. I wouldn’t tell her before I told you. Besides, I’d just as soon she didn’t know yet. She has enough on her mind right now. I want it to be happy news for her.”
“You’re right,” Ben agreed. “She will be happy about it, won’t she?” He asked with concern as they both began to dress.
“Of course she will,” Della answered and hoped that she was right. Did a girl of sixteen want a baby around? She wondered.
“Are you able to eat? I’ll fix breakfast every morning like I did with Addie,” Ben said watching Della struggling to fit her swollen breasts into her bra. That’s why they were so firm and full lately, he thought as he raised up from putting on his socks. He took both ends of the bra to fasten them together in the back.
“Oohh! That hurts! They’re so tender and swollen.”
“Well take the thing off. You don’t need it anyway,” he said as he proceeded to relieve her of it and toss it onto the bed.
“I might as well. I’ll have to get some larger ones,” she said as she picked up the long sleeve, silky blouse of a dark paisley print that she had gotten for three dollars at the Catholic yard sale. It felt so soft and smooth against her skin as she tucked it into the outgrown jeans of Addie’s that she wore. Although she and Addie were the same size, Addie’s legs were longer. When Addie’s jeans were too short for her they were just right for Della. She noted that her nipples protruded under her blouse, but that wouldn’t matter, she thought. She would wear a baggy cardigan over her shoulders.
“We might tell Addie tonight,” she said. “It depends on how our appointment with Brother Morris goes this afternoon. One of us will have to drop her off this morning, and I’ll pick her up after school. I’m going to the grocery store while I still feel like it. We’re out of almost everything. The thought of grocery shopping has been downright revolting to me lately. That’s how I first began to suspect I was pregnant.”
“You’ll get over it soon,” Ben assured her as he picked up his
denim jacket and headed for the kitchen, Della right behind him. “I’ll back the car out for you after breakfast. I’ve got to get the ladder out. Gotta fix the roof on the South Street house. It looks like rain again.”
“I don’t hear Addie in the bathroom. “I can’t believe she’s not up. I never have to get her up,” she said, opening Addie’s door. Addie was still sound asleep, curled up in a fetal position like a small child. Della called her three times, and finally had to shake her awake. “Come on, honey! You’ve got to get up!”
“Why?” Vicki mumbled. “Is it a school day?”
“Of course it’s a school day. My! You’re really out of it,” Della added picking up clothes to take to the laundry room. “You’re going to have to hurry.”
“What do you want me to wear?” Vicki asked sleepily.
Wear? Why do you ask me?” Della asked. “You haven’t asked me that since the third grade, but since you did, I’d suggest your blue nylon jacket with the hood. It’s warmed up, but it looks like rain.”
Vicki heard her mother say, “You can go out to play, but wear your blue sweater with the hood that grandmother Victoria sent you. It’s windy, and you don’t want another earache. “All right, Mother,” Vicki said, as Della was going out the door.
Addie shook her head trying to come fully awake. Something seemed all wrong. She couldn’t think, and she was so tired, so exhausted. She felt like she wasn’t awake, yet she knew she was. Her mind seemed a blur. She struggled to focus on the clock on her desk. She was late! She had to hurry! Why hadn’t her mother awakened her?
“Princess! Get a move on if you want to ride with me!” Ben called from the kitchen.
No, Vicki thought. I can’t ride with father. The others will be waiting for me at the corner.
The Daughters of Julian Dane Page 18